ALEXANDRIA, Va., June 16 -- United States Patent no. 12,653,223, issued on June 16, was assigned to Philip Morris Products S.A. (Neuchatel, Switzerland).
"Apparatus and method for aligning rod-shaped aerosol-generating articles" was invented by Efisio Erbi' (Cagliari, Italy).
According to the abstract* released by the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office: "An apparatus for aligning rod-shaped aerosol-generating articles including a susceptor band, the apparatus including: a conveyor configured to accommodate and transport an aerosol-generating article including a susceptor band; a holder configured to hold the aerosol-generating article in the conveyor and to allow temporary rotation of the aerosol-generating article; a magnetic positioner conf...